Lighthouse Horror Podcast - I'm a Small Town Cop. This is my STRANGEST case | Scary Stories

Episode Date: May 18, 2024

Stay away from this town. Story from Ryan Peacock Make sure to check out more of their work at u/HeadOfSpectre  Cover Art from Sam Gielen                     Original Post: The Misanthrope : r/HeadOfSpectre  Original YouTube link: I'm a Small Town Cop. This is my STRANGEST case          For more stories like this one, check out my YouTube channel: Lighthouse Horror | YouTube  Patreon: Lighthouse Horror | Patreon Merch: lighthousehorror.com  Music: Lucas King - YouTube Myuu - YouTube  Incompetech Darren Curtis Music - YouTube  Thank you for listening to this scary story! If you enjoyed this new creepypasta story, please check out some of my other horror stories. We'll be uploading new episodes every week, featuring ghost stories, haunted encounters, mysteries, true stories, creepypasta, and anything supernatural and paranormal. Don't miss out on the thrill and suspense that await you in each episode!

I never should have come to this town. I've seen the worst of humanity as a cop. But this town, it made me see that there are horrors beyond what humans can dream. I don't know what your shifts were like back in Columbus, but the night shifts here tend to get pretty weird. Anderson said, taking a long drag of a cigarette. There was a sign in the briefing room that said no smoking. But the ashtray in the center of the conference table told me that nobody actually cared. It's fine. I can handle weird, I told them. But my answer just seemed to make Anderson laugh.

That's what they all say, kid. Look, there's Columbus weird, and then there's heaven weird. Believe me, when I say, they are two completely different animals. And it's best if you don't ask too many questions about it. I couldn't help but find his tone a bit condescending. He talked to me as if it was my first day out of the academy. Not like I'd been doing this for five years. Granted, it was my first day in heaven, but I didn't think that was any excuse to talk to me like I was born yesterday. Looking back, maybe it was a mistake to pull up my roots and move out to Heaven, Ohio,

But I had my reasons for getting out of Columbus. The heaven police force. It was hiring. And I thought that starting fresh in some small town might do me some good. Even as Anderson talked down to me, I still told myself that this was just a bad first impression. Once I'd earned my spurs and proved I wasn't some kid with nothing between his ears, he'd change his tune with me. I just needed to earn it.

Just follow the rules and you'll be okay," Anderson said. It's that simple. Yeah, sure thing. I said. You know, I was actually doing a bit of reading up on the local... Not those rules. Anderson scoffed. I mean, yeah, those rules, too.

But I'm talking about the rules for the night shift. Nobody filled Jane on those. The confused look on my face seemed to answer his question. He shook his head in exorkees. in exhaustion. Geez, they're really just hiring anybody these days, huh? All right. Well, I'll run through them with you.

It's pretty simple stuff. The long and short of it is that the church out on Aspen Park Road has a sort of special arrangement with the department, so there's a few unique rules in place with them. Okay. What are the rules? I asked. Like I said, it's pretty simple stuff. Rule number one is that anything out of place you might see around the Aspen Park Road area

goes directly to Officer Dean Norris. And I do mean anything. I don't care what you think you see out there. We don't touch it. It goes to Officer Norris and only to Officer Norris. Okay, noted, I said. But why? Because Officer Norris knows how to deal with those people.

That's why rule number two, under no circumstances are you to ever directly respond to or engage with anything you might see around Aspen Park Road. I don't care what it is. I don't care what you think you see. You don't respond to it. You don't engage with it. You make a note and then you—he gestured to me, waiting on a response. Pass it off to Officer Norris? I finished. Eadda boy. You pass it off to him.

Rule number three, if we run into anyone outside of the Aspen Park Road area with a tattoo of a dove skull on that left arm, we do not touch them. We let them go. They are with the church. So like everything else, they go through Norris. I had some questions about that, but figured it was probably best not to ask them right away. Rule number four, we don't enter the church without permission. And rule number five, we stay off Aspen Park Road between the hours of 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. So, uh, what, we just don't patrol that area?

I asked. We do not. But why not? Because that's part of the agreement. Look, don't pick it apart, all right? Just trust me. The rules are there for a reason. Don't think too hard about it.

Don't poke around asking questions. We do our patrol shift. Any problem that isn't covered by the church's rules we deal with normally. Trust me, most of the time you won't even need to think about the church. Huh, I thought. If we wouldn't even need to think about it, why make such a fuss over the church and its special rules then? The whole thing struck me as a little weird,

but what was I going to do about it? Anderson spoke with the confidence of a man who knew the reason for these rules. So maybe it was better to just accept them than go about my business. Besides, if he was right and I barely even needed to think about the church, they probably wouldn't even come up again. Right? Still, this whole thing didn't sit well with me. Why have some arbitrary set of rules on how to deal with one local church didn't make

a whole lot of sense? Maybe. I don't know, maybe this was some dumb prank. Yeah, I mean, could be. Maybe it was some sort of hazing. It wasn't very professional, but at least that made more sense. I tried to take Anderson's advice and just not think about it. I figured that on the off chance this whole thing wasn't a dumb joke.

There'd be some obvious, simple reason behind these rules that would make sense. Yeah, yeah, that had to be it. It had to be. Unsurprisingly, during my first couple of weeks on shift, The church on Aspen Park Road was a non-issue. We'd pass by the area, but we rarely ever drove down the road itself. And I only actually saw the church on a couple of occasions. At a glance, it didn't look like anything special.

The church of the sacred dove was a boxy white brick building with a large chapel and a sloped roof. I probably wouldn't have even noticed it existed if it didn't have that set of special rules. My nights on patrol in heaven were a little quieter than my shifts in Columbus had been. We'd only get a few calls per night. We usually dealt with drunks, noise, and minor disputes. The most excitement we had during those first few nights was an incident downtown. Some drunk moron flashed a gun at a bar after the bartender tried to cut them off,

and that was it. I'd almost completely forgotten about the rules and Anderson told me. So when I saw my first weird sight out by Aspen Park Road, I was ready to call it in as normal before he stopped me. It'd been a quiet night, even by heaven standards. Anderson and pulled into a strip mall to pick up a pack of cigarettes, some cheap coffee, and to have a chat with the owner. He stopped off at that same store every couple nights. The owner usually gave him the scoop on anything of interest happening in the air. Not that there was usually much.

Well, while he had his chat that night, I stayed outside for a cigarette. Standing in the cool night air, I took a long drag. I couldn't deny there was a kind of peace out there under the stars. It was the kind of night I'd been dreaming of when I'd moved out here. I mean, it was beautiful. And as I stood under those stars, That's when I heard it.

The distant sound of screaming. I paused, lowering my cigarette before walking out further into the parking lot. The screaming was faint. But it was there, and I could smell something burning on the wind. Not my cigarette. Something else. I found myself wandering toward the edge of the parking lot, following the sound and the smell. I threw away my smoke as I got closer and closer to the road.

There was something about that smell. It was weak, but distinct, sickening and sweet at the same time. It was a smell I could almost taste in the back of my throat. It was familiar, but not in a good way. It brought back a vivid memory I had of an incident back in Columbus. where some drunk idiot had run his car off the road. There'd been a fuel leak. By the time we got there, the car had already caught fire.

The blaze had turned the car into a burning coffin. I was one of the officers on the scene at the time, and I remember that smell that had filled my nostrils. Burning flesh. What I was smelling now, it reminded me of that. Why? Joey. The sound of my own name tore me away from my thoughts. I looked back towards Anderson.

He was standing by the cruiser, a cup of coffee in each hand. You hear that? I asked. Anderson was silent for a moment, before quietly opening the driver's side door. He didn't say a word to me. He just got in the cruiser. I paused before going to join him. I expected to see him fiddling with the radio, but he just keyed the engine. It was coming from the west, I said.

There was a smell, too, you know. It was hard to describe. I'm not sure what it was. Don't worry about it, Anderson said. My brow furrowed. What? Why not? I asked. Church stuff. This kind of thing happens every noun. then, just make a note of it, and pass it along to Officer Norris. We're not going to have a look? I asked. I... I heard people screaming.

It's a part of that mass or something, Anderson said. Look, don't ask me for details. I don't know anything about it. I just know that it's how they worship. Screaming, fire. You get used to it. The hell kind of church is that? I asked. What did I just say, kid? Don't ask me for the details. I don't know. And trust me when I tell you that it's better off that way.

Leave a note for Norris, and you'll have a chat with them, all right? That answer didn't sit well with me. I didn't like it in the slightest. But what was I going to do? Argue? Anderson had already put on the radio. probably in an effort to end the conversation. He started driving in the opposite direction of Aspen Park Road.

Half an hour later, he was chatting with me like nothing had happened. Like, I just imagined the screaming and the burning smell. It was, well, it was odd, jarring. It was obvious he wanted me to drop it, But, look, I didn't become a cop to just turn a blind eye to stuff like this. Maybe it was just some sort of weird outdoor mass, but I knew I wouldn't be able to let it go until I knew for sure. When my shift ended, I went home to sleep for a couple hours.

I woke up again sometime past noon. The memory of the faint screams and the smell of burning stayed in my mind. I sat up in bed. Anderson and I had made a note in our end-of-shift report that we'd heard something coming from the Aspen Park Road area. But that was really all we'd done, and I didn't feel like it was enough. Maybe I was just overthinking all this. Anderson, let's be real, he wasn't the best cop I'd ever worked with, but he seemed all right. If he wasn't worried about this, why should I be worried?

The rules about the church were weird, sure, but there had to be a logical explanation for all this. I probably was just overthinking it. Probably. But I had to be sure. Maybe going for a little walk along Aspen Park Road would put my mind at ease. No uniform, no badge, no gun. Just me going for a walk. Nobody would give me any grief for that, right?

Just a nice walk along Aspen Park Road. Nothing out of order. Yeah, you know what? Yeah, that should be fine. I grabbed my jacket in my wallet and I went out for a walk. My apartment wasn't too far away. This is about a half hour away, and I could probably use the exercise. There'd been a light dusting of snow that night. It finally felt like winter as I walked through town.

The wind kicked to the wind. of flurries of powdered snow around my feet as I got closer to Aspen Park Road. In daylight, there really didn't seem to be anything all that special about it. It was a normal street on the edge of the more suburban part of town. The church and its property dominated a good stretch of the road. The other side of it was dense forest. Further down was a neighborhood development that couldn't have been more than, I don't know, 10 years old. The strip mall, Anderson and I had stopped often, was just a couple of streets over. As I wandered under the church's property, I couldn't help but feel like I was trespassing,

although I'm not entirely sure why I felt that way. The rules had said we weren't supposed to enter the church uninvited, but they didn't say anything about walking across the property, And, you know, really that was all I was doing. Taking a scenic stroll across an open lot, I wasn't harming anyone. I wasn't causing any kind of disturbance. I was just walking across the property. There wasn't anything wrong with that.

Was there? This was a church, I mean, not Area 51. I wandered across the lawn behind the church. I'm not really sure what I was looking for. Evidence of something, I suppose. Maybe I'd know it when I saw it. Maybe. As I crossed the field behind the church, my eyes were drawn to the woods out back.

I paused, staring at them. And then I noticed something in the snow, some sort of clearing. It looked like there was a large bonfire pit in the middle of it. Now this looks interesting. I glanced back at the church to make sure nobody was watching me before making my way over. I was right near the bonfire pit. Someone had been burning something there, judging by the blackened remains of wood. It had been used recently.

Now, by itself, the bonfire pit really wasn't all that suspicious. Anderson had mentioned that fires were part of their masses. This had probably just been where they'd been hosting it. But the memory of the screaming and the burning still stuck with me. The mass hadn't sounded like anything I'd ever heard before. Maybe I shouldn't have been hung up on that, but I was. Maybe if it was just the screaming, I could have let it go. I don't know.

But that smell... It still bothered me, you know? I've only smelled it once. once before, and I've heard people say that you never forget it. Maybe it was nothing. I wanted it to be nothing, but I had to know for sure. I crouched down beside the bonfire. I brushed through the snow and the ash, still unsure what I was looking for. Maybe I was looking for nothing at all. Nothing would be proof that this was, well, nothing to worry about. My fingers,

brushed against something hard, and I fished it out. What I found, it was a small bone bleached by fire. My stomach lurched as I examined it. There was no denying what this was. It was a bone, although it was hard to say exactly where it came from. This could have easily been an animal bone. By itself, well, it didn't confirm anything, but that didn't help the uneasy feeling. in my gut. I turned the bone over in my hands. I studied it, as if staring at it, would help me figure out where it had come from. And that was when I heard the voice behind me. You're a little late for mass, aren't you? I stood up, putting the bone in my pocket as I did. There was a woman standing behind me. She had narrow brown eyes and auburn hair that flickered like

fire in the snow. She wore a white dress with no coat, despite the cold. I noticed a tattoo on the inside of her wrist, some sort of bird skull, I think. I didn't get a good look at it. Oh, hi, sorry, just out on a walk. I was just curious because I, I thought I saw a new fire pit. I'm new in town, by the way. I'm just sort of looking for places, you know, to meet people, I said. None of what I said came out smoothly, and I tried to laugh off the awkwardness. The woman just continued staring at me, smiling calmly. It's quite all right, she said. My name is Harmony. It's a pleasure to meet you.

I'm Joey, I replied. No cold, huh? You got to be freezing. Her smile didn't change. I don't mind the weather. She said softly. You're new in town, huh? I don't recognize you. Yeah, yeah, I just moved here.

I was actually looking for a new church to join, I said, mostly just trying to justify why I was snooping around. I couldn't tell if she bought it or not. I see. Are you familiar with our church at all? I mean, I've driven past a few times. I said. You, you with the church?

I suppose you could call me the local pastor, she said. I took over from my father about, oh, ten years ago, give or take. Family business, huh? I asked. Her smile seemed to widen a little. I suppose so, she said. Oh, but he'd probably hate. what I've done with the place. He was a bit more of an evangelical. You know the type.

There used to be a sign out front, preaching the coming end of days. I don't really get into all of that. My ideas about religion are a little different than his. Really? I asked. How so? Oh, he believed church was like a horse whip. Believe or burn in head. Hellfire. I, well, I see it more as a shepherd's crook, bringing the community together, guiding them in one direction towards the truth. Sounds nice, I said. I'd like to think so.

I believe in the strength of community. Whether or not you believe in a higher truth, you can believe in that. You can put your faith in that. That's why we have the bonfires. So it's more of a community gathering than a mass, I asked. Well, we do have more traditional masses, but many nights all have members of the community here and will gather by the fire. It's a fairly informal event.

You're welcome to join us if you'd like to join us. like? You may even make a few new friends, she said. Now I'd be lying if I said that the offer didn't sound a little tempting, but the unease in the back of my mind still lingered. Something about this woman, it felt off, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it was the vacant smile or the strange tone of her voice. Maybe it was something else. Oh, I... I... I don't know. I Ah, we'll see. I said. I work nights, you know, but if I can make it out, I'd love to. Well, I hope to see you there, Harmony said. In the meantime, feel free to stop by if you ever need anything or have any questions.

My door is always open. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Maybe I'll take you up on that. I assured her. You know, I should really get going, but I'll see you around. Yes, see you around, she said calmly. And she watched me as I left. I could feel her eyes on me as I made my way back to the road. And when I looked back, she was still standing there by the ashes of the bonfire,

just watching me. When I got back on shift that night, I had to ask Anderson about the Church of the Sacred Dove. I caught him in the station's gym about a half hour before patrol. He was on one of the treadmills, so I hopped up on the one beside him. He greeted me with a single nod. Hey, how goes it, kid? He asked.

I can't complain. I said, half lying. How you doing? Oh, same old, same old. You know how it goes. I nodded, and we got into small talk for a bit. Shooting the breeze while I worked up to my real question. So, what exactly is up with the church on Aspen Park Road?

You know, I've heard of some weird churches in my time, but they seem different. Trust me, kid. The less you talk about them, the better, Anderson said. Yeah, yeah, you know, you keep saying that. But I'd ask a lot less questions if I knew why we weren't supposed to talk about him. Anderson huffed at that before slowing down the pace of his treadmill. It's a long, ugly story, kiddo, he said. I'll admit, even I don't know all the details.

Well, what do you know? I asked. All right. It used to be run by some old guy, your typical hellfire and brimstone preacher. It was a lot less interesting back then. But after he passed away a few years back, his daughter took over. She's a lot more, what's the word for a new age, spirituality, occult stuff, animal sacrifices. Animal sacrifices?

sacrifices, I repeated. Yeah, apparently, they've got an understanding with the county. Look, look, look. Our job isn't to get into it. Our job is to just keep the peace. Whatever they've got going on out there, it's all above board with the county and the department. So it is best to just keep your distance from it. People get in trouble for poking around that stuff too much.

I'd hate to see you ending up like them." Fair enough," I said softly. Anderson stopped his treadmill, and he took a long swig from his water bottle. I'm hitting the showers. Look, I'm not trying to intimidate you, Joey. I'm really not. But it's better if you don't think about that church. Leave a note for Norris, and you will be so much happier, trust me.

I think he was trying to be reassuring with those words. But if anything, it all just made me more queasy. While Anderson went off to the locker rooms, I left the treadmill and moved on to the exercise bike. I thought about the bone I'd found earlier. If they were using the bonfires for animal sacrifice, then the bone had probably come from that. But there was still uncertainty in the back of my mind. As I sat on the exercise bike, I knew it wouldn't go away until I found out for sure. My nights working with Anderson were quiet. We broke up a few loud parties, dealt with some domestic

disturbances, and we picked up a couple of drunks down at the bar. That was really it. Nothing seemed to happen around the Aspen Park Road area. If anything, things were especially quiet out there. well, for a few nights at least. It was about three days after I'd found the bone that I saw a man in a white robe running down the street. We'd been driving in his direction when I noticed him. It was impossible to miss him, even in the dark.

Our headlights lit up those robes of his like a Christmas tree. We were only about a block from Aspen Park Road. I clearly remember that the time was just past midnight. Anderson, I said, pointing out the man as if he wasn't right in front of us. I saw him stare at the man on the street. I expected him to slow down, put on our lights and check in on the guy. He didn't. He just watched him quietly and moved over a little bit to avoid hitting him.

The man seemed to see us. The man stretched out his arms running for the car, and I could see genuine terror on his face, a wild-eyed panic that was close to hysteria. Anderson still didn't stop. He just kept going. He drove past the man who was desperately chasing after us. What the hell are you doing? I asked.

Rules of rules, Joey, he said plainly. We just keep moving. The hell will we do? I snapped, trying to unlock the door so I could get out. We weren't going that fast. I could get out of the car without getting hurt. The moment I put my hand on the door, though, Anderson grabbed my wrist breaking hard.

Don't, he warned. His eyes burned into mine. They were more intense than I'd ever seen them. The man in the white robe had caught up with our car. I could hear him banging on my window. I could hear him screaming. Tears streamed down his face as he tried to pull my door open, but Anderson had locked it.

We don't respond to the things we see out here, Joey, he said. We leave the door open. them be and we leave a note for Officer Norris. I stared at him. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Jesus, Anderson, there's a man pounding on our window, I said. We don't respond, he replied. I tried to open the door again, but he lunged for me, pinning me against my seat. This is for your own good kid," he said, as I tried to fight him off. Outside of the car, the man in the white robe was watching us, his eyes wide with terror. I noticed five figures behind him. They emerged

from the darkness on the edge of the street. All of them were dressed in black robes with hoods that hid their faces. The man in the white robe didn't seem to notice them just yet. He was still focused on Anderson and me fighting in the car. Anderson glanced over at the man. I know he saw the figures approaching him, but he didn't do anything. He just kept his weight on me, leaving me helpless to stop what was coming next. The man in the white robe finally seemed to notice the newcomers behind him. And he was terrified.

He started to run. But the dark-robed figures quickly closed the distance. I squirmed violently, trying to reach for the taser in my belt. And as soon as he realized what I was doing, he grabbed my wrist. Don't, he said again. Just let it go, Joey. Let it go. All I could do was watch as the black-robed figures dragged the screaming man away.

He fought against them. He kicked, he cried, but he couldn't escape. They took him away, and there was nothing I could do to stop them. I pounded on Anderson's shoulders like a kid having a tantrum, but he didn't budge. He just kept me pinned to the seat. The rules exist for a reason, he said. I get it. All right, I get it.

It's not in your nature to look the other way. I get it. But you don't get involved in the church's affairs. Do you understand that? That man was running, I tried to argue. And we'll leave a note for Norris. Who the hell even is Norris? I snapped.

Who's Officer Norris, huh? Because you know what, in the past few weeks I've been here, I've never seen or heard anyone else mention anyone named Officer Dean Norris. But he's the guy we send to deal with these calls, a guy who, as far as I can tell, doesn't even exist. That man was running scared, Anderson. We're supposed to do something about it. I tried to push Anderson off me, but he still wouldn't move.

Don't, he said. Joey, don't. Go to hell, I snapped. I slammed my head against his, and I knocked him back just a few inches. I threw the cruiser door open, and I stumbled out. The man in the white robe couldn't have gotten far. I just needed to catch up. Suddenly, every muscle in my body clenched,

as I experienced what I can only describe as the unholy combination of a full-body cramp and getting hit by a baseball bat. I'd been shot with a taser before, back during my training in Columbus. I'd always hoped I wouldn't have to experience that again. But I guess Anderson had other ideas. I crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, twitching as I did. Anderson stood over me, watching me rive on the ground. Don't be a hero, Joey, he said.

Heroes don't last long in this. town and the rest of us survive by following the rules. This is her town. It's been her town for the past ten years. So please just stop. I rolled under my back panting heavily. I saw Anderson staring down at me. I could see that he'd drawn his gun.

He wasn't aiming it at me, but it was there. A silent warning against trying anything else. After a moment, he offered me a hand. Stand up, he said calmly. Let's call it a night, all right? Let's get a coffee and move on, okay? Let's put this behind us. Despite the sincerity in his voice, I think he knew damn well that putting this behind us wasn't really an option. I could see it in his eyes, but behind his determination. I could also see hope, hope that I'd see the light, and just let it go." I let out a tired exhale before reaching for his hand and letting him pull me to my feet.

"'Ada boy,' he said. Now let's get you a coffee, all right? Come on, into the cruiser." He gestured to the open passenger side door, and I shuffled in. My entire body still hurt. But there wasn't much else I could do. Anderson closed the door behind me. And then he went around the car to get in the driver's seat.

His mistake was taking his eyes off me. I'm not proud of what I did next. But if we did things Anderson's way, we would have been abandoning the man who was begging for our help. Maybe he could do that, but I couldn't. I reached for my pepper spray as soon as he closed the door. When he got back into the car beside me, I emptied the entire can in his face. Anderson screamed, thrashing violently and collapsing back out of the car.

I heard him scream my name, but I didn't waste any more time on him. I threw my door open and I stumbled back out onto the street. Joey, Joey, I heard Anderson yell, but I was already running. I was following the robed figures back toward Aspen Park Road in the church. It didn't take long before I heard the music, loud drums and chaotic singing. I could see the light of a bonfire up ahead. It's in the same clearing I'd visited the other day. But this time, I could see figures dancing in the firelight.

The bonfire towered over the dancers. I paused. Before moving into the nearby woods, I used the trees and the darkness to hide me as I crept closer. I counted around 20 to 30 people around the fire. About five of them were dancing around it. They were all dressed in ceremonial rows. that twirled and swished around them, leaving their legs and feet bare against the elements.

Each of the dancers wore an elaborate bird skull mask. Their dance, it looked like nothing had ever seen before. Their arms swayed in rhythmic, circular patterns. They barely even seemed to move like humans. At the entrance of the clearing stood a woman watching the dancer, She was wearing a familiar white dress. Like the dancers, she also wore a bird mask and stood barefoot in the snow. Harmony. It had to be her.

Beside her, I could see two groups of black-robed figures. Each one of them were holding back a stranger dressed in white. One of them. It was the man I'd seen on the road. The other was someone new. A second man who also looked scared out of his head. There was a part of me that wanted to rush into that clearing, draw my gun, and break up whatever this was. But something else kept me rooted to the spot.

I watched as the dance reached its climax. Until at last, all of the dancers collapsed into the snow, bowing before the fire. Only then did Harmony speak. We offer now our chosen at this hour of winter, she began. We offer them to you, O greatness, he of sickle-claw and hungry beak. He of endless eyes and grinding teeth. We offer you this feast.

Oh, holiest of holies. She raised her arms. As if on cue, the two captured strangers were dragged towards the fire. I could see them fighting. I could hear them screaming. The smell of burning flesh flashed in my memory. And I remember the bone I'd found in the ashes of that very bonfire. In that moment, I knew that every fear that had lurked in my mind about this place was true.

They were going to burn those people alive. Sacrificing them to... To what? I went from my gun. The people in the clearing didn't seem armed. I could shut this down. I could end it. I needed to end it.

I fired three shots into the air as I charged out of the trees, and Harmony calmly turned to look at me as I did. Whatever the hell this is, it ends now, I spat. Let those people go. The figures in black didn't respond. They held their victims tight-light as they struggled to break free. Well, Joey, was it? Harmony asked.

Her voice still calm. Seems you've made it to one of our gatherings after all. I don't know what you think you're doing here, but I'm putting it into it. I snapped. Let those people go now. I aimed my gun at Harmony's chest, and she just laughed. It's charming that you think you hold authority of. over me," she said.

But, very well, I'll humor you." She clapped her hands twice. Let them go. At her command, the two prisoners were released and took off at a run. There, see, I'm capable of being reasonable, she said softly. He, on the other hand, is not. What the hell are you talking about? I asked. You really are clueless about what we're doing here, aren't you?

I'm not surprised. You're with the local police, aren't you? I suppose they didn't really explain our arrangement with them. Just because you've got them in your pocket, it doesn't mean you've got me to. I said. In my pocket, she said, you really are small-minded. I suppose you think that this is either madness or some sort of conspiracy, don't you? But it's all much more simple than that. Then enlighten me.

This ground we stand on is consecrated. We stand on a temple and we stand here in worship. Only our prayer is a little more direct than most. She looked at me before noticing my confusion. Well, my father didn't understand it either, she said. He believed what a God needed was loyalty, prayer, servitude, And yes, these things are necessary. But above all, a God wants food.

He wants to be fed. And we feed him. Lady, you are well and truly nuts, I said, keeping my gun trained on her. Get on the ground, hands behind your head. You're going to arrest me, she asked. You think he will allow you to place one hand on me? You know what, let's find out, I said, keeping my gun on her as I approached. She didn't put up a fight.

She only watched me, a look of amusement on her face as I came closer. I put a hand on her shoulder, trying to force her down to her knees. But as I did, the clearing grew brighter. A blinding flash rose from the flames, not a flare from the fire, but something else. The bonfire seemed to grow. It seemed to change. For a moment, I was sure that there was something in the fire, something watching me. I couldn't make out exactly what.

I could make out shapes, wings, eyes, too many eyes, sharp teeth, but not much else. My ears began to ring. The light around me was blinding. I couldn't look at it. I couldn't focus. I didn't remember falling into the snow, but I must have. Because next thing I knew, harmony. was standing over me.

She was smiling through that bird mask of hers. And so now you see, she said, before looking back towards the men in the black robes,

cast this one into the fire as he has freed our intended sacrifices. He shall take their place. I tried to stand, but I felt hands grabbing me, forcing to my feet. The gun was torn out of my hand.

I stared into the fire. Countless eyes stared back at me from the flames. No, no, was the only word I could say. Wait! A new voice echoed through the clearing. Harmony turned to look where it came from, and I saw Anderson standing at the edge of the tree line, holding up a hand. Don't do this, Anderson panted. Don't do this.

He's cost us our sacrifices this evening, Anderson. Why should he be spared? Harmony asked. Please, it's my fault he got involved. I should have, I should have stopped them. I should have made him realize. Please, it's my fault. So we should take you instead, she hummed.

How noble, give me one reason why I shouldn't sacrifice you both. He's seen what you do here. He knows what's in the fire, Anderson said. He's more used to you alive now, just like I was. Just, just like Norris was. Harmony was silent for a moment. Oh, and so we finally come full circle, don't we, Jeremiah Anderson? I saw Anderson hesitate for a moment, before giving a single nod.

Yes. Yes, we have." Harmony seemed to think for a moment, before giving a nod. Very well, then. If you're so determined, then you will go to the fire. Anderson didn't say anything to that, but his eyes locked on mine. There was meaning in that last look he gave me. More meaning than simple words could convey, scolding, fear, hope, and a plea.

With that one last look between us, I understood Anderson better than I had in all the weeks we'd worked together. I didn't say anything to him. I didn't nod. I just stared back at him. Grateful. terrified, unsure of what might happen next. Thank you, Anderson said, and I'm not sure if he was talking to me or to harmony.

And then he turned and stared into the fire. Taking one final breath, I watched as he began to walk towards it. His footsteps faltered. There was fear in his every movement. But he didn't stop. He didn't hesitate. He offered himself to the fire, and as it consumed him, as the flames melted the flesh from his bones, filling my nostrils with the stench of burning meat, as his screams faded into the night,

I watched. It was about a year later that they sent me a new recruit to work with on the night show. Some kid from Toledo. Been a cop for three years. He figured that starting fresh in some rural small town might dooms some good. As I met him for the first time in the break room before our first shift together. I sized him up. I lit myself a cigarette before starting. I don't know what your shifts were like back in Toledo, but the night shifts here tend to get pretty weird," I said. He assured me he can handle it.

And for some reason, that made me laugh. That's what they all say, kiddo. Look, there's Toledo weird, and then there's heaven weird. Believe me, when I say, there are two completely different animals, and it's best if you don't ask too many questions about it. Look, just follow the rules and you'll be okay. It's that simple. He just stared at me with a confused look.

Nobody had told him about the rules. I sighed and shook my head. Jeez, they're really just hiring anybody these days, huh? Right, well, I'll run through them with you. It's pretty simple stuff. The long and short of it, is that the church out on Aspen Park Road has a special sort of arrangement with a department. So there's a few unique rules in place with them.

Rule number one is that anything out of place you might see around the Aspen Park Road area goes directly to Officer Jeremiah Anderson. And I do mean anything. I don't care what you think you see out there. We don't touch it. It goes to Officer Anderson, and only to Officer Anderson. You got that? The trainee nodded.

But I knew he didn't understand. He thought he did. Just like I once thought I did. But he didn't understand. He couldn't. Not unless he saw it himself. I understood, though. Just like Anderson once understood.

You can't fight a god. All you can do is play by its rules.